William van demark



(Mode1.)

W. VAN DEMARK.

FOUNTAIN PEN. No. 433,109.

Patented July 29, 1890.

wzLn/egsisg s." J 7117670601 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

\VILLIAM VAN DEMARK, OF PHELPS, NEIV YORK.

FOUNTAIN-PEN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 433,109, dated July 29, 1890.

Application filed June 26, 1889. Serial No. 315,686. (Modeh) To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM VAN DEMARK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Phelps,in the county of Ontario and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fountain-Pens, of which the following is a specification.

In fountain-pens as usually constructed with top feeds great difficulty is experienced from the fact that the flow of ink is irregular, at times being insufficient for rapid writing, at other times being so free that ink escapes from under the open feed-bar to the sides of the pen, when a slight jar throws it to the paper and a blot follows. At such times it also escapes to the cap it the pen is at rest, rendering it unclean and exceedingly annoying. Another difficulty arises in, adjusting the pen. If too far removed from the feedbar, the ink will not flow. If too close, the supply of ink is limited. Open feed-bars of this class at best convey ink to the penpoint by the slow process of capillary attraction, Which,with their attendant objections, I avoid by conveying the ink above the top of the pen to a point over or near the slit therein in what I term an inclosed ink-conduit, of any manufacture, open at its pen-point end, and deliver it to the pen-point by means of an automatic gate located at the penpoint end of the conduit and operated by the point of the pen. 7

By referring to the drawings my invention will be better understood.

Figure 1 is a longitudinal central section of my pen. Fig. 2 represents what I term the automatic gate IV. Fig. 3 is abottom view of the same. Fig. 4 is a side view of the feed-plug. Fig.5 is a top view of it, showing the ink-channel in bar M. Fig. 6 is the pen D with reservoir I attached to its under side. Fig. 7 is a bottom view of the same. Fig. 8 is the nozzle 15 and nozzle ll, attached as described in Letters Patent No. 401,985, issued to me April 23, 1889, which also describes the feed-plug. Fig. 9 is the cover adapted to slip over the nozzle and protect the pen when not in use.

For convenience of illustrating my inven tion I have employed the feed'plug of the patent above cited with'modifications.

The feed-bar M, Fig. l, is shortened and a groove or ink-channel is cutin its upper side large enough to accommodate a liberal supply of ink for the pen, as shown in Fig. 5. This channel extends into the body of the plug just back of the point where the heel of the pen terminates, effecting a union at this point with the ink-channels 0n the sides of the feed-plug, which lead to the reservoir A and overflow-chamber H. The upper and forward part of the feed-plug is removed, so as to admit of a suitable cover to channel in'bar M, which can also be grooved on its under side, as shown in Fig. 3, to increase the capacity of the channel or conduit. In this case I make the elastic part V serve as a cap to bar M, as well as to close the gate \V and hold it in position.

The construction of the inclosed ink-conduit described is such that the ink does not come in contact with the upper side of the pen till near its point; but if it is desired to further increase its capacity the bottom in bar M can be removed and the pen allowed to serve as floor to the conduit.

I am aware that the old feed-bars are sometimes grooved on their under sides to facilitate capillary attraction, while the pen serves as floor to the channel; but my conduit thus described differs from them in being of much larger capacity, permitting an easy and rapid flow of ink, and also in being open at its penpoint end. This style of conduit is liable to leak.

In connection with my inclosed ink-com duit I employ the automatic gate, Fig. 2, which is slightly concaved on its under side at IV, so as to hold a small quantity of ink ready for instant use. From this point a channel is cut to the heel of the part \V large enough to permit a proper flow of ink to the pen. For ease of making the inclosed inkconduit, I groove the part V lightly on its under side, and make it serve as a cap to bar M, thus completing the conduit; but if bar M is provided with a cap in a different way, or if the inclosed ink-conduit is made of tubular form, then the part V is not grooved on its under side; but in either case it must be elastic. \Vhen the automatic gate is in position, the part V rests on the bar M and the part IV rests on the pen near its point and so closely joins the inclosed conduit that ink cannot escape when the pen is at rest. Its office is to furnish an intermittent supply of ink to the point of the pen through the inelastic part V, Fig. 2, and then dropping the part V in positionon bar M, Fig. 4, it will be seen that the ink-channel in bar M, extending over the top of the pen, is completely in W closed, except at its pen-point end.

The slit in feed-plug under bar M is made to accommodate the heel of the pen when a long pen is used, but is not necessary when a short pen is employed, as the pen is held firmly in position in light longitudinal grooves on the inner and opposite sides of the overflow-chamber H.

The reservoir I, Fig. 6, is placed on the under side of the pen and firmly secured to it. It is open at the end I and so constructed as to receive the overflow ink. The ink that accumulates in this reservoir is easily returned to its proper place by inverting the pen. It has this advantage, that it can be used with or without the overflow-chamber H, as it can be made to fill the oflice of said chamber.

When ready for use, the forms shown in Figs. 2 and 4 are united and with pen D and pushed into the nozzle B, and held in position by frictional contact in pen-chamber 15. This being joined to reservoir A, the pen is complete. The ink flows down through the inclosed ink-conduit in liberal quantity, and is arrested by the gate WV. As the pen-point rises and falls the gate is opened and closed, allowing the ink to freely enter the channel in the bottom of the gate, and is thus furnished to the pen.

I claim- 1. A fountain -pen organized with an inclosed ink-conduit open at its pen-point end, longitudinally disposed above the pen, for conveying the ink from the reservoir to a point over or near the slit in the pen.

2. In a fountain-pen, in combination with pen D, the feed-bar M, longitudinally disposed above the pen, the automatic gate longitudinally disposed above said feed-bar and pen and arranged to rise and fall With the penpoint for the purpose of regulating the flow of ink thereto.

3. In a fountain-pen, the pen D, provided with the reservoir I, firmly secured to the under side of the pen,for the purpose of receiving the overflow ink.

4. In a fountain-pen, the overflow-chamber H, provided with longitudinal grooves for the purpose of holding the pen, in combination with the reservoir A, the nozzle B, the feedbar M, and pen D, sn bstantially as shown and described.

5. In a fountain-pen, the pen D with thereservoir I attached, in combination with the inclosed ink-conduit, the automatic gate WV, the pen-chamber B, and reservoir A.

6. A fountain-pen comprehending in its.

tomatic gate, the pen D, the overflow-chamber Witnesses:

A. VAN DEMARK, W. R. VAN DEMARK. 

